The moment you enroll a patient, SaRA introduces itself by text. There is no separate consent form to collect — the intro message carries the required notice and opt-out language.
What the first message says
Hi [patient's first name]! 👋
[Provider name] from [your clinic] would like to send you regular text messages to check in on your progress and improve communication during your care. You can reply directly to these messages!
In a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency services.
Msg & data rates may apply. Msg frequency varies. Reply STOP to no longer receive msg.
The message is personalized with the patient's name, their provider, and your clinic's name.
It goes out in the patient's language — the intro is available in English and Spanish.
The emergency disclaimer and the "Msg & data rates / Reply STOP" lines are the standard SMS consent notice — every patient sees them up front.
What happens, and when
When | What the patient gets |
5 to 15 seconds after enrollment | The intro message above. Fast on purpose — it lets your front desk confirm the number is right while the patient is still standing there. |
About 90 minutes later | "Do you have any questions following today's visit?" |
Next business day onward | Their regular check-in cadence begins. |
The 90-minute message exists for a specific reason: it lands right about when the patient is driving home and the questions they meant to ask start surfacing. It is one of the highest-response messages in the whole sequence.
Enrolling outside business hours? The intro message is held until the next business day rather than arriving at 9pm.
If a patient was messaged by SaRA within the last 7 days, a new intro message will not be sent — so re-enrolling someone quickly does not spam them.
Does the patient have to reply?
No reply is required. The daily check-in questions begin on the patient's cadence whether or not they respond to the intro.
A patient who receives messages without opting out is being monitored — which is what the setup code (98975) requires. Responses matter for the Engage codes: see RTM CPT codes & billing thresholds.
If the patient replies STOP, all messages to that number are blocked and SaRA stops evaluating them for billable events — see the right way to end a patient's messages.
If a patient never seems to receive anything, check deliverability before concluding they are disengaged — Why isn't my patient responding? walks through the spam-folder and carrier checks.
Set the patient up to say yes
Patients engage far better when the first text isn't a surprise. A ten-second heads-up at the front desk — "you'll get a text from us checking on your progress; reply right to it" — makes the difference. Word-for-word scripts are in How to introduce SaRA to your patients.